- The official biography of wrestling legend Nikita Koloff, is now on sale through Crowbar Press – NIKITA: A Tale of the Ring and Redemption” by Koloff and William Murdock:

“Nikita Koloff, better known as the “Russian Nightmare,” stormed the wrestling world as few others have in the history of the sport. Imposing, immovable, and unbeatable, Nikita left a trail of fallen opponents as he brought the Cold War that loomed over the globe into the ring.

From a hard-scrabble beginning to rings around the world, Nikita Koloff filled arenas, thrilled fans, and captured five world titles in the process. And then, when he was at the top of his game, he walked away from the sport.

This is not just the story of Nikita Koloff, the wrestler. It is the story of Nikita Koloff, the man. It is the story of a remarkable and unique journey. It is a story that, in many ways, is common to all of us.

“A Tale of the Ring and Redemption” captures a time of upheaval and change in the wrestling business that lay witness to the end of the age-old territories and the dawn of a new global era that made wrestling the most-watched sport and entertainment venue of all time.

Most importantly, “A Tale of the Ring and Redemption” is just that: a story of the career of one of the most prominent wrestlers who has ever stepped into the ring. It is the story of a man who has touched hundreds of thousands of lives with his own narrative. Nikita’s story is a story for everyone.”

- Here is a clip of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on the FOX DC affiliate, promoting his latest film:

- SportsVibe.co.uk recently sat down with DDP. Here are some highlights.

On Creating Scott Hall‘s Gimmick:
I created Scott Hall’s entire look as the original ‘bad guy’ with the Diamond Studd, before there was ever Razor Ramo. Scott talks about that openly and gives me all the credit for coming up with the look and the toothpick and all of that, which is very cool because a lot of guys don’t remember how much you help them.

Later on, Scott Hall repaid the favour by giving me the Diamond Cutter when they were trying to recruit me for the NWO because they were so hot no one would drop them until me.

On Not Jumping To WWE:
Steve Austin was around at my house and we’d go over lines on a regular basis. He told me if I ever wanted to join WWF at the time I could of and I probably would have had a better run if I had left then. But everything works out the way it’s supposed to and I’m so grateful for being able to live a dream on a whole different level.

No one did it the way I did it, and know one will ever do it that way again because they’ll never allow it to happen again. I was the anomaly. I wasn’t supposed to happen.

WWE Regrets?:
I always get people saying to me ‘what do you feel about the WWE ruining your career?’ and my reaction is always ‘what are you talking about?’ I worked their for four months and I was in the business for 13 years.

I had an amazing run. It didn’t end exactly the way I wanted it to, but I learnt a lot of really strong lessons from the way I handled my career in WWE. I wanted to do ‘peoples’ champion vs. peoples’ champion’. That would have made so much money and would have been a whole different outcome with me and The Rock working together. We complemented each other, but that didn’t work out and I had that idea two years before I ever went to the WWE.

For me not to follow through with a goal is not like me and I never let anyone redirect me. I let that happen, but it taught me not to let anyone take you away from your goals.

- Here is some footage of WWE’s Press Conference in Abu Dhabi, courtesy of The National:

- Matt Hardy who still has some discomfort from hernia surgery (which played a part in his larger gut) noted on Twitter that he needs to be evaluated physically before returning to the ring for regular action. He stated that he may need back surgery.